About The Song
“When I Get Thru with You (You’ll Love Me Too)” (often shortened to “When I Get Through with You”) is a track by American country singer Patsy Cline, released as a single on Decca Records (catalog 31377) on February 5, 1962, with “Imagine That” as the B-side. The song was recorded on August 25, 1961, at Bradley Film and Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, during one of her Decca sessions produced by Owen Bradley. Written by Harlan Howard (a prolific Nashville songwriter known for classics like “I Fall to Pieces” and “Heartaches by the Number”), it features Cline’s emotive, confident vocals backed by The Jordanaires on harmony vocals, lush string arrangements by Bill McElhiney, and session musicians including Grady Martin (electric guitar), Harold Bradley (electric bass), Floyd Cramer (piano), Bob Moore (bass), Buddy Harman (drums), and a full string section. The recording runs approximately 2:36 in duration and exemplifies the polished Nashville Sound style that defined her Decca era (1960–1963), blending country with pop orchestration.
The single reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and number 59 on the Hot 100 in early 1962, marking one of her pre-“Crazy” chart entries during her rising crossover phase. It appeared on various compilations, including Patsy Cline’s Golden Hits (1962 Everest budget release), Here’s Patsy Cline (1965 Vocalion), The Patsy Cline Story (1973), Sweet Dreams: Her Complete Decca Masters (2010), and numerous posthumous anthologies such as The Commemorative Collection and The Ultimate Collection (various labels). The song has also been featured in live radio transcriptions and TV performances from the era, including episodes of the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts and other variety shows where she promoted it.
Musically, “When I Get Thru with You” is an upbeat, mid-tempo country-pop number with a playful, determined energy. The arrangement features prominent strings, piano accents, and The Jordanaires’ smooth backing harmonies, creating a sophisticated yet accessible sound. Cline’s vocal delivery is bold and sassy, conveying a woman who is confident she can win back her lover and make him fall harder. The lyrics use a vengeful yet romantic tone (“When I get thru with you, you’ll love me too / You’ll be so crazy about me, you won’t know what to do”), with imagery of turning the tables on a wayward partner through charm and persistence. Owen Bradley’s production balances the song’s lighthearted revenge theme with lush instrumentation, aligning with Cline’s successful Decca formula that elevated her from honky-tonk roots to national stardom.
The track is part of Cline’s prolific Decca catalog from 1960 to 1963, a period yielding her biggest hits like “I Fall to Pieces” (1961, number 1 country, 12 pop), “Crazy” (1961, number 2 country, 9 pop), and “She’s Got You” (1962, number 1 country, 14 pop). “When I Get Thru with You” served as a solid follow-up single, showcasing her interpretive range and commercial momentum before her tragic death in a plane crash on March 5, 1963. Posthumous reissues have kept the song in circulation, often grouped with her upbeat or empowering material in retrospectives. Sources such as discographies, Wikipedia session logs, and Genius annotations confirm the August 1961 recording date and February 1962 release, highlighting its role in her breakthrough crossover success and enduring legacy as a pioneering female country vocalist who brought emotional depth and sophistication to Nashville Sound productions.
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Lyric
When I get thru with you, you’ll love me too
You’ll be so crazy about me, you won’t know what to do
You’ll be on your knees beggin’ please
When I get thru with youYou think you’re such a big shot now
You think you’ve got me on the run
But wait until I turn the tables ’round
Then you’ll see who’s havin’ funWhen I get thru with you, you’ll love me too
You’ll be so crazy about me, you won’t know what to do
You’ll be on your knees beggin’ please
When I get thru with youI’ll make you want me night and day
I’ll make you call me on the phone
I’ll make you love me come what may
And then I’ll leave you all aloneWhen I get thru with you, you’ll love me too
You’ll be so crazy about me, you won’t know what to do
You’ll be on your knees beggin’ please
When I get thru with you